Lev Raphael has wanted to be an author since he was in second grade, and he's not only achieved his dream, he's published twenty-six books in genres from memoir to mystery to erotic vampire tale; had his work translated into fifteen languages; seen one sell close to 300,000 copies; appeared in two documentaries; won various prizes; done hundreds of invited talks and readings on three different continents; sold his literary papers (92 boxes!) to the Michigan State University Libraries (MSUL); been the subject of scholarly articles, papers, and book chapters; and seen his work taught at colleges and universities around the country. Which means he's become homework. Who knew?

After close to twenty years of university teaching, he now offers creative writing workshops as well as editing at http://writewithoutborders.com.

Born and raised in New York, he got over it and Michigan has been his home for more than half his life. He's a pioneer in writing about children of Holocaust survivors, which he's been doing since 1978, longer than almost any other American author. He frequently tours with his books (check http://www.levraphael.com for his current schedule).

After he escaped academia to write full-time, he reviewed extensively for over a decade for the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Radio, The Washington Post, Jerusalem Report, The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Forward, Boston Review, and Lambda Book Report. He's also reviewed books at The Huffington Post along with writing blogs about travel, art, and movies at his web site levraphael.com. A seasoned reader of his own work, with a background in theater, he loves the performance aspect of touring, as well as meeting people he'd never meet back home. And the sightseeing. And the foreign foods. For photos from some of his German book tours, go to http://www.levraphael.com/europe_photos.html.

GERSHEN KAUFMAN was educated at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester. He is now professor emeritus, Counseling Center and Psychology Department, at Michigan State University. For thirty-six years he was actively engaged there in providing psychotherapeutic services to university students; consultation to university faculty and staff; clinical supervision and training to psychology practicum students and interns; research supervision to graduate students; and teaching a course on Affect and Self-Esteem in the Psychology Department. Kaufman also maintained a private practice as a licensed psychologist until 2010, where he treated a broad range of clientele in psychotherapy.

A pioneer in the study of shame, Kaufman is the author of The Psychology of Shame: Theory and Treatment of Shame-Based Syndromes, Second Edition (Springer Publishing Co., 1996) and Shame: The Power of Caring, Third Edition (Schenkman Books, 1992). He is the coauthor with Lev Raphael of Stick Up For Yourself! Every Kid's Guide to Personal Power and Positive Self-Esteem, Third Edition (Free Spirit Publishing, 2019); A Teacher's Guide to Stick Up For Yourself, Third Edition (Free Spirit Publishing, 2019); Coming Out of Shame: Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives (Doubleday, 1996); and Dynamics of Power: Fighting Shame and Building Self-Esteem, Second Edition (Schenkman Books, 1991).

Kaufman has been widely in demand as a lecturer over the past forty years throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, and England. He has lectured as well as conducted seminars and workshops on the role of shame in personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy; on shame and self-esteem; and on the significance of shame for gender, culture, and society. He has lectured at universities, medical centers, teaching hospitals, meetings of the American Psychiatric Association, state Psychological Association meetings, state Social Workers Association meetings, addiction treatment centers, and numerous conferences. Kaufman has also presented to many professional and lay groups an innovative self-esteem curriculum that can be implemented either in clinical or educational settings.